Shame are back at it again: The UK rockers are set to share their next album Food for Worms on February 24th via Dead Oceans, and they’re celebrating the announcement today with its lead single “Fingers of Steel.” Additionally, the group have mapped out their largest headlining tour to date for 2023, trekking across Europe and North America.
In a press release, frontman Charlie Steen describes Food for Worms as “the Lamborghini of Shame records.” We can neither confirm nor deny that analogy, but it’s true that the record marks a big step up in maturity for the London post-punks, who usher in a more polished sound here without compensating their edge. They cite influence from Lou Reed, as well as the ’90s indie rock group Blumfeld (Germany’s answer to Pavement or Pixies) during the writing process. Pre-orders for the record are ongoing.
You can hear those cues in “Fingers of Steel,” which goes bigger and aims higher than just about any song Shame have put out to date. It also bears a bit of an anthemic quality, which is fitting to the song’s lyrical themes of finding motivation in dark times: “You know you’re wasting away/ There’s a sun outside but you don’t see it,” Steen sings.
Shame begin their tour March 1st at Dublin’s Button Factory. They’ll hit North America on May 10th in Durham, North Carolina, before hitting cities including Brooklyn, Chicago, and Austin. The finale goes down June 4th at the Toulouse Theatre in New Orleans. General on-sale begins this Friday, November 18th at 10:00 a.m. ET, and you can get your tickets at Ticketmaster.
Watch James Humby’s vivid, satirical music video for “Fingers of Steel” below, and then keep scrolling to see the details for Food for Worms and Shame’s 2023 tour dates.
Food for Worms follows Shame’s 2021 album Drunk Tank Pink.
Food for Worms Artwork:
Food for Worms Tracklist:
01. Fingers of Steel
02. Six-Pack
03. Yankees
04. Alibis
05. Adderall
06. Orchid
07. The Fall of Paul
08. Burning By Design
09. Different Person
10. All the People
Shame 2023 Tour Dates:
03/01 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
03/03 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
03/04 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
03/05 – Leeds, UK @ Stylus
03/07 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill
03/08 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
03/09 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
03/11 – Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall
03/12 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed
03/14 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
03/15 – Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
03/16 – Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
03/18 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV
03/19 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca
03/20 – Barcelona, ES @ La 2 de Apolo
03/22 – Nimes, FR @ Paloma
03/23 – Milan, IT @ Magnolia
03/24 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza
03/26 – Munich, DE @ Technikum
03/27 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
03/28 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle
03/30 – Oslo, NO @ Vulkan
03/31 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
04/01 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
04/03 – Brussels, BE @ AB
04/04 – Cologne, DE @ Floria
04/06 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
04/28 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
05/10 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
05/12 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
05/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
05/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
05/16 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
05/18 – Montréal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques
05/19 – Ottawa, ON @ Club SAW
05/20 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
05/22 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
05/24 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
05/26 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
05/27 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
05/28 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
05/30 – Dallas,TX @ Granada Theater
06/02 – Austin, TX @ The Scoot Inn
06/03 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
06/04 – New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre